Business Plan 2018-2021
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...... 2 1. BACKGROUND ...... 3 2. POLICY CONTEXT ...... 4 2.1 The Scottish Government ...... 4 2.2 Creative Scotland ...... 4 2.3 Public Libraries ...... 5 2.4 Partnership Opportunities ...... 5 3. VISION ...... 6 3.1 Being Welcoming ...... 7 3.2 Being Compassionate ...... 7 3.3 Transforming Lives ...... 7 4. PURPOSE ...... 8 4.1 Modernising Agenda ...... 8 4.2 Collections ...... 8 4.3 Creativity ...... 9 4.4 Community Engagement ...... 10 5 EQUALITIES, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION (EDI) ...... 11 6. STRATEGIC AIMS ...... 13 6.1 Continue to build unique resources of recognised excellence for poetry ...... 13 6.2 Enabling as wide an audience as possible to access the benefits of poetry ...... 13 6.3 Nurturing creative language and reading skills ...... 13 6.4 Engaging with the national and international community ...... 14 7. OUTCOMES ...... 14 7.1 Members of the public (audiences) will gain increased opportunities to: ...... 14 7.2 Poets will benefit from: ...... 14 7.3 Communities who face barriers to engagement with poetry will benefit from: ...... 15 7.4 The SPL will benefit from: ...... 15 8 OUTPUTS ...... 15 8.1 Continuing to build a unique resource of recognised excellence for poetry ...... 15 8.2 Enabling as wide an audience as possible to access the benefits of poetry...... 16 8.3 Nurturing creative language and reading skills ...... 17 8.4 Engaging with the national and international community ...... 18 9. KEY CHANGES TO OUR OFFER ...... 19 9.1 Audience Development ...... 19 9.2 Digital Reach ...... 19 9.3 Presenting Scotland‘s Pluralism ...... 19 9.4 Stakeholder Engagement ...... 19 10. INCOME GENERATION & DIVERSIFYING FUNDING BASE ...... 19 11. EVALUATION ...... 20 Appendix 1: GOVERNANCE AND LEADERSHIP ...... 21 Appendix 2: DELIVERY AND MANAGEMENT ...... 23 Appendix 3: FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT ...... 25 Commitment to Fair Pay ...... 25 Appendix 4: RISK ASSESSMENT ...... 26 Appendix 5: SWOT ANALYSIS ...... 27 Appendix 6: EVIDENCE OF QUALITY OF WORK ...... 28
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SCOTTISH POETRY LIBRARY: BUSINESS PLAN 2018-2021
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Scottish Poetry Library (SPL) has a clear and confident vision for the future built on the notable successes of our 33-year history. Along the way we have positioned poetry and poets at the centre of Scotland’s vibrant cultural milieu. Although we recognise that there are many current and future financial challenges facing publicly funded arts organisations, we remain optimistic that, through reinforcing existing partnerships and developing new collaborations, we will continue to positively impact lives through poetry.
Bringing people and poems together is at the heart of everything we do – our mission. With this in mind, we’ll strive for our visitors, borrowers and service users to experience the SPL as a welcoming and compassionate organisation, aiming to transform people’s lives through exciting experiences and creative engagement with poetry - the ‘spark o’ Nature’s fire’ as Robert Burns wrote.
This business plan was developed by our dedicated Board members and staff engaging in many conversations with our volunteers, stakeholders and audiences. We will continue to develop our stakeholder relations to include people who might not previously have possessed the visibility or profile to have had their voices heard. As a membership organisation, we will incentivise younger people and students to join and, we hope, connect with us and with poetry for the rest of their lives. We will also seek to reach out to communities that are traditionally underrepresented in our audiences, often the result of real and perceived barriers connected to limitations of low income, physical ability, low literacy and sense of belonging.
In John Burnside’s words, ‘The more imaginative we are, the more compassionate we become’. By supporting the poetry community, creative learning programmes in schools and community settings, and offering increased access to poetry in live literature events and high-quality online resources, we support imagination. And in supporting imagination, we aim to demonstrate the compassion that our art form ardently conveys by affirming that, as writer and Board member Jenni Fagan puts it, ‘Poetry belongs in every community’.
Launch of National Poetry Day, October 2016, at Edinburgh College’s Granton Campus with poet Kevin Williamson (Neu! Reekie!), National Makar Jackie Kay, singer-songwriter Panda Su, poet Michael Pedersen (Neu! Reekie!), and College Principal and SPL Chair Annette Bruton
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1. BACKGROUND
“If poetry were a building, it would be the Scottish Poetry Library.” Jackie Kay, Makar - National Poet of Scotland (June 2016)
Founded in 1984, the Scottish Poetry Library is the nation’s library for collecting, curating and lending Scottish and international poetry. Through the skills and knowledge of our board, staff and volunteers we lead in supporting excellence and experimentation of the art form, and are committed to reaching all of Scotland’s communities to experience and enjoy poetry through our collection, programme, broadcasts and online material. We provide a first port of call for information about Scottish poets, and we showcase poetry through publications and a programme of live readings at the Library and with partners across Scotland. All of this is encapsulated in our mission to ‘bring people and poems together’.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon with National Makar Jackie Kay (March 2016)
Image reproduced by permission of the Scottish Government
We are a transformative space; using our world class poetry collection in an iconic building to impact the lives of those we serve. We bring poetry to life and life into poetry – illuminating the Scottish canon, presenting exciting new work and giving a voice and profile to new and experienced poets alike. Through excelling in project delivery, we have a strong reputation and long-serving relationships with grants bodies, trust and foundations. We possess a resolute commitment to equalities and diversity, reflected in the developing composition of our Board and senior management.
Although the Scottish Poetry Library is proud of its status as an independent arts organisation with charitable status, we see our values and ambitions as part and parcel
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of the public library ethos. Public libraries across the UK have been revisiting and reimagining their purpose and the ways in which they are funded, managed and engage with audiences. ‘Ambition and Opportunity: A National Strategy for Public Libraries in Scotland 2015-2020’, expects libraries to become even more active and confident partners with other services, and encourages librarians to be vocal leaders in the digital age on access to information, intellectual freedom and freedom of expression. What differentiates the SPL is not so much our outlook, but rather our unique heritage, staff expertise and the comprehensiveness of our collections - our ‘bedrock’.
2. POLICY CONTEXT
2.1 The Scottish Government Through our administration and programme support for the national Makar, the SPL has an advisory relationship with the Scottish Government. Key national cultural policy outcomes that the SPL supports include: A focus on the contribution that poetry can make to improving the health, wellbeing, confidence and quality of life for our communities; and
Raising the profile of Scotland at home and abroad, and ensuring that as many people as possible in Scotland and overseas are able to benefit from, be inspired by and enjoy the very best of Scotland's creative, cultural and historic wealth.
We have supported Scottish and UK-wide initiatives including the 2012 Cultural Olympiad (London), 2014 Commonwealth Games (Glasgow) and the 14-18 NOW: WW1 Centenary Art Commissions.
Ambitions for 2018-21: The SPL will seek to encourage the Scottish Government to include poets and poetry more formally in its international working, in support of ‘soft diplomacy’. We will scope opportunities for engaging with the 2018 Year of the Young Person. We will engage the National Makar in a more strategic approach to our international working, aligning with Literature Alliance Scotland – the sector’s umbrella organisation. Through our improved curriculum resources and creative learning activity such as Poetry By Heart Scotland, we will support the Government’s education policies for improving attainment.
2.2 Creative Scotland Following the publication of the ’Literature and Publishing Sector Review’ (2015), the SPL has sought to: Work more collaboratively with RFO organisations in the literature sector (e.g. Saltire Society Awards, Scottish Book Trust New Writers Awards); Support the development of writers and writing in Gaelic and Scots languages. Present examples include inclusion in our annual guest-edited Best Scottish Poems and inclusion in our National Poetry Day teaching resources; Support the professional development of writers (on-site workshops and activity at Moniack Mhor and Cove Park); Collaborate more with book festivals (e.g. StAnza, Edinburgh International Book Festival, Wigtown Book Festival);
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Support integrated European and international working (through Literature Alliance Scotland’s International Showcase and working with British Council, Edwin Morgan Trust and Literature Across Frontiers); Support tourism initiatives (e.g. projects with Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature, and Canongate and Holyrood Initiative); and Standardising earning for writers (by following the fees recommended by Scottish Book Trust’s Live Literature programme).
Ambitions for 2018-2021: The SPL will seek the development of the existing network of partners across Scotland, including arts venues, festivals, local authority contacts and heritage organisations. We will help to broker touring opportunities for poets across Scotland through funded or part-funded initiatives with Scottish-based and international partners. Work and performances in Gaelic and Scots language will grow in our programming.
2.3 Public Libraries ‘Ambition and Opportunity: A National Strategy for Public Libraries in Scotland 2015- 2020’ has identified libraries as supporting policy agendas of literacy, digital inclusion, economic well being, social wellbeing, culture and creativity and better public services. The SPL has a longstanding tradition of working collaboratively with many of these themes, for example: Digital inclusion; our website, audio podcasts and online reading resources; Our professional development workshops. publishing activity and fee-paying events supporting economic well being; Living Voices – our current phase, funded by and developed in partnership with SLIC, is focused on training for library staff and care workers and supports wellbeing as well as culture and creativity Our events programme and administration for the national Makar supporting culture and creativity; SPL-led workshops like Nothing But the Poem reading groups and creative writing workshops that support wellbeing; and Partnership workshops within the Library that support inclusiveness and social wellbeing, for example the Belonging Project and Open Book.
Ambitions for 2018-2021: The SPL will work with public libraries to widen engagement with and awareness of our services across the country. This can be achieved through improving the catalogue integration and access for public libraries. In consultation with Scottish Libraries and Information Council (SLIC) and CILIP Scotland, we will review and develop our offer of professional development training and support for public library staff. This will build on our training and development activity previously funded by Paul Hamlyn Foundation and our Reader-in-Residence and the Read Aloud project partnerships with Edinburgh City Libraries.
2.4 Partnership Opportunities The SPL has a strong reputation for collaborative working through sharing skills and knowledge, brokering relationships with poets and advocating for the inclusion of Scottish and international poets and poetry in programming across art forms. We will seek to grasp the benefits that new partnerships provide, including nurturing new ideas
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and ways of doing things; reaching out to new audiences across Scotland through the partners we engage with, and opportunities to attract new sources of funding.
New and emerging partnerships in 2016-17 have included: Edinburgh College: creative writing for teachers and students; Edinburgh College: formal accreditation of volunteering in a proposed pilot project with National Museums Scotland; University of Edinburgh Department of Celtic and Scottish Studies: promoting engagement with Gaelic cultural initiatives ; National Trust for Scotland: poet in residence, Robert Burns Birthplace Museum programme and outreach; Islay Book Festival, Shetland Literature Festival and Coastword Book Festival: programming activity; Voluntary Art Scotland: co-creation of work between poets and arts/crafts collectives; Jupiter Artland: programming activity in Green spaces; Participation in a new working group on medical humanities in Scottish medical training, convened by the National Library of Scotland with Scotland’s medical schools NHS Lothian and Artlink Edinburgh: developing work in hospitals; Galway: European City of Culture (2020): Scots and Irish exchanges; Craft and Design: co-collaborations with designers and poets; Edinburgh Art Festival; and The Princes Trust.
Ambitions for 2018-2021: We will support the bids of both Paisley and Perth for UK City of Culture 2021. The SPL will also support poets engaging with cultural projects commemorating: The Year of Young People (2018) the centenaries of Margaret Tait (2018), W.S. Graham (2018) and Edwin Morgan (2020); Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh 350th (2020); and Sir Walter Scott 250th (2021).
3. VISION Since our founding in 1984, and under the aegis of our first two directors Tessa Ransford and Robyn Marsack, the SPL has been committed to passion, imagination, knowledge and openness. As we plan our route ahead to 2021, we wish to convey fresh optimism, perhaps also reflecting the mood of the nation, through being welcoming, being compassionate and transforming lives.
The teaching resources are also greatly valued here. The sharing of poetry in Scots and Gaelic is appreciated as you bring to our attention new poets or at least new poets as far as we are concerned. We have some Gaelic speakers in families here so that goes down well. Teacher, Primary School & Nursery, Highland Council (October 2016)
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3.1 Being Welcoming We will place the positive visitor experience at heart of everything we do through footfall in the building as a borrower, researcher, teacher, tourist or attendee of our events or workshops. This welcome will be extended to people accessing our services virtually, i.e. online, or through pop up and sponsored activities we have organised.
Poet and novelist Jenni Fagan wrote after our pop up event at Edinburgh College in October 2016, ‘Poetry belongs in every community. It is the duty of those engaged in arts and culture to create a space where poetry becomes a part of the daily life for people.’ This duty begins with the welcome we give to people from all walks of life, and is further explained and delivered through our Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan.
3.2 Being Compassionate By engaging with the creative process we open ourselves up to other people’s stories, other lives lived and loved, we become more empathetic.
Poetry renews and deepens the gift that most surely makes us human: the imagination. And that is as essential to public as it is to private life, because the more imaginative we are, the more compassionate we become – and that, surely, is the highest virtue of all. John Burnside, the Telegraph (2012)
Our work on the theme of medical humanities, Tools of the Trade: Poems for New Doctors, our anthology given to all graduating doctors in Scotland, demonstrated the role that poetry can play in supporting professionals in their day-to-day workplace environment, providing both a comfort and a deeper understanding of their experience and helping to relate to the condition of others. We will be developing another anthology on the same model to be given to probationer teachers, with similar aims of supporting resilience and compassion. Through tailored creative learning activity, in formal and informal education and community environments, we can help people explore their lived experiences and share their stories: as John Burnside observed, ‘poetry renews and deepens the gift that makes us most human: the imagination.’
3.3 Transforming Lives More often than not people turn to poetry at pivotal times in their lives, for example to commemorate, celebrate or to mourn. However, increasingly poetry has been finding its way into the national conscience to express a common feeling, value or expression of support or opposition. It also has the capacity to help people better understand themselves, and to articulate their own positions and ideas; as Jackie Kay said, ‘Poetry gives voice to the voiceless.’ By making poetry more accessible, whether through reading for pleasure, creative writing or experiencing live events, the SPL can further support the intrinsic value of poetry as one of Scotland’s oldest and best-loved art forms.
It was a privilege to take part (in Poetry By Heart Scotland). Overall, it was a wonderful experience, and I would thoroughly recommend anyone who is interested in poetry to take part! Student, Dalziel High School (March 2017) Page 7 SPL Business Plan 2018-2021
4. PURPOSE
4.1 Modernising Agenda There are a number of platforms, in addition to printed books and materials, with which people can engage and access the SPL, for example: Physical spaces, e.g. the Library and other venues when opportunities are delivered in partnership with the SPL, e.g. Jupiter Artland Digital spaces, e.g. via PCs and smart-phones accessing our website, the live streaming of events or phone apps Live events, e.g. book festivals, touring Media; e.g. new BBC Scotland TV; The Scotsman ‘Poem of the Week’.
The emphasis on our digital offer will help to reduce our Carbon Footprint as a result of less printed marketing material.
Through this modernising approach we will not lose sight of, nor lose our strong reputation for, both what one of our staff members has called our tradition of the ‘personal and enthusiastic’, such as using our expertise in helping people find the right poem for an occasion or a long-lost poem. We will also continue to develop the accessibility and focus on our physical collections for those who are new to our resources, for example the welcoming nature of the journals and the reading space by the front entrance; and we recognise that the Library is also a visitor attraction, with a shop that provides an attractive selection of books, pamphlets and poetry-related gifts.
We will therefore seek to provide a general free at the point of use service to people visiting the Library and online users, with added benefits and incentives for individual and institutional members, also referred to as our Friends and Patrons.
Ambitions for 2018-21 As we transform our digital offer to reach new audiences, we will review the functionality and design of our website, enabling development and expansion of popular features such as podcasts and recordings, and increasing the video/film we offer. We will investigate whether expanding the audio-visual content is best developed through investing in-house equipment or by accessing recording facilities off-site through partnership working with HE/FE institutions with courses in digital design and media production.
To deliver to this agenda our resources and energy will focus on Collections, Creativity and Community Engagement.
4.2 Collections We will develop a new Collections Policy that will build on the unique stock, archives and resources that we have acquired over time through purchases and voluntary deposit agreements with publishers.
As a lending library we will further explore ways of aligning our catalogues and records with public library authorities, in addition to our postal borrowing service, we will
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explore further opportunities to enable public library users across Scotland to access to and borrow from our lending collection.
We will expand our specialist language collections, including BSL in the scope of our new Collections Policy. Arabic and Farsi will be considered as languages for consideration as part of a broader community consultation of our collections. Looking beyond our physical lending offer, we will work with partners, such as the National Poetry Library (London) and publishers, to provide a range of eBook resources for limited time borrowing, saving the costs and physical space of duplicating material already held in other libraries.
Although we are seeking to reduce our carbon footprint through investing in more resources that might be accessed digitally, we will recognise appropriate opportunities for the print publication of poetry anthologies, for example Tools of the Trade for Teachers, which will be gifted personally to new teachers by their profession in order to support their well being and compassion. We will also continue to provide specialist support for organisations wishing to engage with poets with publications reflecting key celebrations, for example the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s 350th anniversary.
[Tools of the Trade] certainly achieves what is has set out to, ‘to provide comfort and support’, and teaches that despite the challenges we may face, particularly as new doctors, it is important to remind ourselves of our passion to provide good care for our patients. Dr Navya Besawada, Aberdeen University medical graduate (2016)
4.3 Creativity For many people and young people in particular, their first engagement with poetry might be through a video that has gone viral on Facebook, or by experiencing a performance poet at a cross-art form event or festival.
We will develop our digital offer to provide online material that will be attractive to schools as curriculum resources and to enrich teacher and pupil engagement with poetry, as well as material that will support schools’ engagement with initiatives such as Poetry by Heart Scotland and National Poetry Day.
We will also seek to reach out to audiences beyond SPL’s Library, by streaming live and recorded poetry readings to other venues across the country and into people’s homes. Our community engagement plan will identify creative work that can be delivered outside of Edinburgh, where possible in partnership with national Third Sector and public organisations.
Areas for development will include: Smart-phone applications, for example modelled on, or developed in partnership with, Poetry Foundation and Pigeonhole Film poems as a developing art form for developing new expertise and attracting new audiences; and
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Interactive opportunities for people to share their own resources, e.g. through the national Makar’s ‘My Scotland’ initiative.
Poetry lends itself well for collaborations across art forms, supporting innovation and experimentation. For example, the SPL facilitated the commission of a video with Jackie Kay by Scottish Ballet on the theme of intergenerational dialogue (April 2017). We will partner with arts and heritage institutions to present new commissions and residencies for poets, similarly focusing on wider community engagement.
We will also seek fresh opportunities for poets to engage with commercial businesses. A pilot project was undertaken in 2016-17 pairing Payfont with Poet-in- Residence Colin McGuire.
We will continue to explore opportunities to present exciting new and experimental work in the building, for example the Library will become an Edinburgh Fringe venue for performance poetry, which will also help to attract more diverse and younger audiences.
Through our commitment to the Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion we will support Gaelic, Scots language and BSL poets through our programming and partnership working with groups specifically supporting these languages.
Stewart Sanderson reading at a Lost in Translation workshop as part of the Russian-Scottish Sonnets Exchange in partnership with the British Council
4.4 Community Engagement The Scottish Poetry Library looks ahead from a positon of strength and fresh optimism. Our Space for Sound capital project, completed in October 2015, has enabled the Library to become an iconic centre for poetry activities; including, programmed seasons of readings, creative writing workshops, family activities and peer support groups.
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We will produce a Community Engagement Plan that will align with our EDI Action Plan and identify key communities of interest and place, to encourage more group visits and activity in the Library and to have a presence of the library in community venues and spaces. This will be delivered through the development of strategic partnerships with organisations and creative practitioners. We aim to use poetry as a tool for individual exploration and deepening of connections within the poetry community and other art forms.
An area of strength we can build on is our work with older people, for example the launch of the anthology, Whatever the Sea: Scottish Poems for Growing Older - launched at the Luminate Festival of Creative Ageing (2016). We are seeking to build on the successes of our Living Voices partnership activity with the Scottish Storytelling Centre in care homes and public libraries through a new initiative with Lapidus and National Health Scotland. We currently host three University of the Third Age reading groups.
The benefits of the group to our members are considerable. Apart from the joy of reading poetry, the learning experience of discovering poets who are new to us provides mental stimulus, and encourages our members to make use of the SPL's extensive poetry collection. The social aspect of meeting together and chatting over a cup of coffee is also helpful for those who may be lonely. One of our members, who uses a wheelchair, is particularly appreciative of the easy level access at SPL. Alison Carter, U3A group leader (February 2017)
5 EQUALITIES, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION (EDI)
5.1 In our EDI plan (2016-19) we identified four key equality strands/audiences to focus on by developing and improving our services. These are: 1) Age 2) Ethnicity 3) Socio-Economic Deprivation 4) Disability
We are committed to diverse representation at all levels of the Board, staff team and volunteers and will actively seek to encourage open call nominations and applications from under-represented groups, for example women, Black & Minority Ethnic (BME) communities and Gaelic speakers.
5.2 Through implementing our EDI Action Plan we will:
a) Work strategically to broaden reach and capture more information about the people we engage with. We will target activity to New Scots, including refugee families and children, pupils at schools in disadvantaged communities, and older people.
b) Explore further collaborations and partnerships with BME representative organisations and community champions.
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c) Use our collections more imaginatively to inform reading and creative writing activities engaging with target groups.
d) Connect our events programme to EDI aims, fostering new relationships and collaborations for co-creation activities with our collections and library spaces, and connect our EDI targeted group with the events programme to deepen the experience and bonds to the work undertaken with these groups.
e) Open up the collections to a wider audience, picking up on themes of translation and transcription. This will build on our resources in Gaelic, British Sign Language and other languages. We will engage multiple audiences through easily-repeated resources like the BSL/subtitled film made during our PEP research phase.
f) Bring in external expertise where there is a lack of knowledge and skills about the target audiences.
g) Improve our digital offer to maximise the potential of the collections, our services and help to overcome physical access issues to the Library and online resources.
h) Increase our offer to professional services with a focus on wellbeing, including mental health, and sectors that experience stress, for example, developing the Tools of the Trade for other audiences, like teachers.
i) Develop the volunteering offer to attract a diverse range of volunteers.
j) Embed EDI practice by updating and monitoring employment policies and include EDI content within staff, Board and volunteer handbooks.
The SPL won the Creativity category at the Creative Edinburgh Awards 2016 for ‘The Library is Open! Drag Queen Poems’ in collaboration with Jean-Francois Krebs and Iain Morrison
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6. STRATEGIC AIMS Our Strategic Plan for 2015-2018 identified strategic aims for delivering to the present Creative Scotland RFO award. We will keep these aims for business continuity. We will also adopt new outcomes and outputs, not only to reinforce and build on our successes, but also to support our Modernising Agenda. The four key strategic aims are:
6.1 Continue to build unique resources of recognised excellence for poetry To build and sustain a national poetry resource for Scotland, physical, digital and virtual, caring for Scotland’s poetic heritage in the context of an international collection. To be the authoritative provider of poetry expertise, with a reputation for providing a professional and accessible service to a wide range of users from academic to general public. To provide a choice of methods and formats to access a comprehensive range of quality poetry resources in a changing technological landscape. To achieve a high profile as a specialist library in the Library and Information Service environment.
6.2 Enabling as wide an audience as possible to access the benefits of poetry • To create a broad variety opportunities for people to connect with poems in their everyday environments and in changing circumstances. To acquire and make available through our collection and a programme of events Gaelic and Scots language poetry. • To provide opportunities for shared enjoyment of poetry. • To collaborate with other organisations to extend our reach and create pathways into poetry. • To provide physical and digital platforms for poets to share and contextualise their work.
6.3 Nurturing creative language and reading skills • To raise the profile of poetry in schools and to motivate children and young people to enjoy poetry and use it to enrich their learning, develop their language skills and facilitate self expression. • To support teachers and school librarians across Scotland to develop their capacity, confidence and creativity in teaching poetry across the curriculum, through access to a wide range of relevant texts and teaching strategies . • To provide opportunities outside formal education for the nurturing of creative language and reading skills through poetry, including a variety of informal learning opportunities at the SPL and online for people of all ages and abilities.
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• To raise the profile of poetry, poets and specifically contemporary poets living in Scotland, both within and beyond the formal education sector.
6.4 Engaging with the national and international community • To build a worldwide audience for Scottish poets and an audience for international poetry in Scotland. • To facilitate international, in-depth, poet-to-poet encounters. • To raise the profile of the Scottish Poetry Library nationally and internationally.
7. OUTCOMES Over the lifespan of this strategy to deliver to these Aims, the SPL will strive to deliver the following Outcomes:
Outcome 7.1 Members of the public (audiences) will gain increased opportunities to: reference Access and engage with our lending collection 1.1 Use and engage with our building and resources (books, staff, archive) 1.2 through creative learning activities, engaging reading for pleasure and wellbeing, writing workshops and peer to peer critique Use and engage with our digital content, accessed through our website and 1.3 social media channels Experience high-quality live events and engage with poets 1.4 Access supported volunteering opportunities and pathways to employment 1.5 Experience new ideas and ways of looking at the environment 1.6
Outcome 7.2 Poets will benefit from: reference An increased number of standardised paid opportunities that provide 2.1 meaningful recognition for their work Increased sales of poetry books and pamphlets by Scottish writers 2.2 An increased number of creative learning and professional opportunities, 2.3 some with an international reach, for Scottish poets Recognition from Scotland’s national and local government policy makers of 2.4 the benefits of poetry to economic, social and cultural capital Increased opportunities to shape the future of Scotland’s poetic identity 2.5 and community and their influence nationally and internationally Developing their creative practice through experimental use of digital 2.6 technology and platforms Opportunities to collaborate with other art forms 2.7 Having their work and events publicised on our events online calendar 2.8 A more diverse audience as a result of our EDI action plan engagement and 2.9 bring new audiences to our events programme
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Outcome 7.3 Communities who face barriers to engagement with poetry will benefit reference from: Increased diversity in our programming (and access to events), audiences 3.1 and organisation Targeted outreach to community settings 3.2 Increased opportunities for community groups to make use of our building 3.3 and its resources Our increased outreach to and partnership with schools, colleges and 3.4 universities and other informal lifelong learning settings The collection, where available, of new British Sign Language poetry and 3.5 video resources incorporating BSL The promotion of incentivised SPL Friends scheme for key groups, e.g. 3.6 students may join and renew as subscribed Friends after graduation
Outcome 7.4 The SPL will benefit from: reference A larger and more diverse community of in-person and digital visitors, 4.1 borrowers and participants Increased connectivity with wider library and reading communities locally, 4.2 nationally and internationally, through creative learning, community outreach and digital engagement Sustaining and developing a lending collection that continues to reflect the 4.3 broad range of borrowers’ needs, and the current state of the art form A fit for purpose venue and facilities tailored to the needs of visitors, 4.4 borrowers, staff and volunteers Being a proactive organisation supporting the reduction of carbon footprint 4.5 through increased digital provision, programming and travel choices for users and a wider influence through highlighting green and sustainability issues with partners An inspired environment in which poets continue to shape and contribute 4.6 to the ongoing culture of the SPL Current and new partnerships that will extend our reach and vision and 4.7 make our resources go further
8 OUTPUTS Activities we plan to undertake for these Outcomes to have impact include:
8.1 Continuing to build a unique resource of recognised excellence To meet for poetry Outcomes Outputs: Sustained Annual addition to the collections of all poetry books published by 1.1, 2.2, and 4.3 Scottish authors, catalogued and noted – through both acquisitions and publishers’ voluntary deposit scheme Aim to comprehensively index all Scottish poetry titles and selected 1.1, 1.3 and 4.3 periodicals An authoritative biblio/biographical resource of both established and 1.1, 1.3, 2.2, new Scottish poets; maintain and build an online poem resource, and 4.3
Page 15 SPL Business Plan 2018-2021 including poems in translation Support for one collaborative doctoral student, which will benefit the 1.5, 2.4, 3.4, SPL’s academic reputation and provide the SPL with specialist and 4.4 assistance each year
Continuing to build a unique resource of recognised excellence for To meet poetry Outcomes Outputs: New
Design and implement a Digital Strategy 1.3, 3.3, 3.4, Redevelop website functionality with audio-visual and graphics 3.5, 4.1, 4.2, content tailored for target audiences, including investment in an and 4.3 uplift to the IT server, redesign of website and acquisition of high- quality recording studio equipment for audio and video Identify digital content to enhance Friends benefits scheme Champion British Sign Language poetry and video resources incorporating BSL Provide a platform for resources made available by NLS Connecting Scotland’s Sounds audio-digitisation project. Explore provision of e-books to our visitors and borrowers, in 1.1, 1.3, 2.2, partnership with National Poetry Library (London) 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 and 4.5 Design and implement a formal Collections Policy 1.1, 1.2, 2.3, • Scope involvement with the inter-library loan scheme 2.4, 4.1, 4.2, Acquire and make available poets’ work that has been published and 4.3 digitally • Continue to prioritise specific bilingual resources for acquisition Establish a poets’ advisory group (on model of Scottish Book Trust) 2.4, 2.5, 3.1, 4.1, and 4.3 Explore further prospects of co-publication with Scottish publishers 1.1, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 Explore shared resources with Poetry Archive for public access audio 1.3, 2.2, 2.3, and video material by Scottish poets 3.3, 4.2 and 4.3 A guest-curated exhibition programme with visual artists and writers 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, to showcase the collections 2.2, 3.1 and 4.1
8.2 Enabling as wide an audience as possible to access the benefits To meet of poetry Outcomes Outputs: Sustained Lead Scottish agency for National Poetry Day campaign 1.1, 1.3, 2.3, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 A programme of events, curated in-house and with experimental, 1.2, 1.4, 2.1, external partners both at the Library and off site 2.5, 3.1, 3.4, 4.1, and 4.2
Enabling as wide an audience as possible to access the benefits of To meet poetry Outcomes
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Outputs: New Investment in digital content and redesign of the SPL website as a 1.3, 3.1, 3.2, content driven resource with attractive creative learning material 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, supporting schools and community engagement 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3 Expand online resources for National Poetry Day in conjunction with 1.1, 1.3, 2.3, Forward Arts Foundation 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 Establish partnerships and platforms for high-quality streaming and 1.3, 1.4, 2.3, broadcasting of poetry events taking place at the Library and across 3.1, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2 the country, with potential for worldwide broadcast/dissemination and 4.3 Become an Edinburgh Festival Fringe venue – promoting innovative 1.2, 1.4, 2.1, performance poetry and providing a networking space for poets 2.2, 2.5, 3.1, during the Festival season 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 Explore innovative ways of programming for online audiences, eg the 1.3, 1.4, 2.3, Saltire Society’s #ScotLitFest 3.1, 4.1 and 4.3 Advocate for more poets on the Scottish Book Trust’s Live Literature 2.1, 2.3, 3.4 and database 4.1 Become as open venue as possible for literature events promoters in 1.2, 1.4, 2.1, addition to in-house programme, incentivise membership of SPL by 2.5, 3.1, 4.1 and events promoters through competitive pricing of hire space 4.2 Continue to develop partnerships to expand the creative learning 1.1,1.2,2.1, 2.3, offer 3.2, 3.3, 3.4,4.2, and 4.7 Provide opportunities at the Library for residencies by practitioners of 1.4, 2.7, 3.1, 4.2 other art forms and 4.7
8.3 Nurturing creative language and reading skills To meet Outputs: Sustained Outcomes Develop and grow Poetry by Heart Scotland schools competition. 1.4, 3.1, 3.4 and Increase available poems for competition by making more poems in 4.3 our Poetry By Heart Scotland online selection. Articulate the SPL’s education offer through regular communication 3.2, 3.4, and 4.2 with teachers and librarians Offer continuing professional development for poets through writing 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, workshops delivered in partnerships with established sector skills 1.5, 2.1, 2.5, organisations, e.g. Moniack Mhor, Cove Park and University of 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4 Edinburgh and 4.1 Offer lifelong learning for all ages through developing and delivering 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, on-site and community based activities targeting priority groups 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, identified in our EDI action plan 3.4, 4.1, 4.2 and 4.4 Act as the lead agency in Scotland for National Poetry Day campaign, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, supporting the UK-wide campaign strategy 1.5, 2.1, 2.5, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4 and 4.1 Work in partnership with the Edwin Morgan Trust to promote and 2.2, 2.3 and 2.5 develop the biennial award for Scottish poets aged 30 or under Continue reader development work through creative approaches 1.1, 1.2, 2.9,
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Nurturing creative language and reading skills To meet Outputs: New Outcomes Redesign digital content for schools with audio-visual material 1.3, 3.4 and 4.3 supporting the SQA curriculum and Poetry by Heart Scotland Develop a version of the Tools of the Trade gift anthology model for 1.3, 3.1, 3.4, 4.1 Scottish teaching profession and 4.3 Organise an annual teachers conference promoting schools 1.2, 3.1, 3.4, engagement with poetry resources and visiting poets 4.1 and 4.2 Scope out additional opportunities for reader development work in 1.1, 1.2, 2.9, community settings 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2 and 4.7
8.4 Engaging with the national and international community To meet Outputs: Sustained Outcomes Scottish poets showcased throughout the SPL website, including 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, featured poets, and as part of Best Scottish Poems annual selection 2.3, and 4.3 The work of the national Makar is supported and made visible, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, working in partnership with arts and media organisations, eg BBC 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, Scotland and 4.2 Advising relevant bodies and working with partners to present 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, Scottish poets outwith Scotland, e.g. British Council 2.4, 2.5, and 4.2 Podcast readings by and interviews with poets: Scottish, those visiting 1.3, 2.2, 2.3, Scotland 3.3, 4.1, and 4.3 Contribute to the Scottish presence at the annual Modern Languages 2.2, 2.5 and 4.2 Association winter convention n the USA Partnership with Edwin Morgan Trust and EIBF on biennial translation 1.4, 2.3, 3.2, workshops and 4.1
Engaging with the national and international partners and To meet audiences Outcomes Outputs: New Advocate for inclusion of poetry content and propose programming 1.3, 2.3, 3.1, 4.1 ideas for new BBC Scotland TV channel and 4.2 Work to develop a long-term partnership with South Florida 1.3, 2.3, 3.1, 4.1 University on children’s poetry, and tie-in with Peter Pan Moat Brae and 4.2 Trust Provide opportunities for poets to engage with Celtic Connections 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, and Showcase Scotland 2.3, 4.1 and 4.2 Work with Publishing Scotland and international publishers on 2.2, 2.4 and 4.2 opportunities to present Scottish poetry and poets We will provide strategic support to Literature Alliance Scotland’s 2.2, 2.4 and 4.2 ambition for an international development service for the sector
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9. KEY CHANGES TO OUR OFFER
9.1 Audience Development The SPL will open up the Library building and our Collection to people who are traditionally non-users of our services. This will be achieved through a variety of ways: engaging in more community and schools outreach, making available group visit tickets to many of our Library events to communities that are underrepresented in our audience profile, making the Library available as a venue for spoken word and performance poetry during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and by offering students and young people new incentives to join the SPL Friends’ group.
9.2 Digital Reach As well as physical engagement, we intend to enhance our digital offer through investing in an uplift to our IT provision, enabling us to greatly improve our online content and creative development opportunities, for example the commissioning and hosting of more film poems. We will also look at ways in which some of our resources might be incorporated into a smartphone app through research and development with publishers’ licenses and partnerships with pioneers in this area, e.g. Poetry Foundation or Pigeonhole.
9.3 Presenting Scotland‘s Pluralism Another key change will be the consideration and representation of Gaelic and Scots languages and culture in our Governance, service planning and activity within the Library, and externally through building relationships with literary and arts organisations. We will actively seek opportunities to engage with artists from communities often referred to as ‘New Scots’, building on our successful PEP film directed by Roxanna Vilk.
9.4 Stakeholder Engagement Finding out what our stakeholders think has become increasingly important for the SPL not only to retain its relevancy, but also to engage with those who might not have the visibility or profile to have their voices heard. This will be partly achieved through the establishment of a writers’ advisory group with a diverse range of backgrounds, on the model of Scottish Book Trust. We also want to expand our organisational membership (Friends) to include younger people and individuals from Black & Minority Ethnic Communities.
10. INCOME GENERATION & DIVERSIFYING FUNDING BASE We recognise that over the three years of this strategy there is a risk of significant funding cuts to Creative Scotland and this RFO strand. As a result, we will develop a fundraising strategy to bring in funding from present and new sources. This might include: A legacy campaign to grow an endowment reserve; A membership drive with a new subscription model for our Friends scheme, for example, added access to website resources; Corporate sponsorship for some elements of our projects, e.g. National Poetry Day and Poetry By Heart Scotland;
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Competitive pricing and marketing of the hire the Library and its meeting room; Expanding our online sales offer (with the support of a capital uplift to our digital platform); and Sharing resources and efficiency savings (e.g. procurement) with other partners in the sector.
11. EVALUATION The SPL is moving towards an evidenced-based model for the design and development of our Collection, events programme and outreach activities. This involve Quarterly measurement of user statistic, including website and social media statistics; post-event evaluation of all events and learning programme workshops; maintenance of an enquiries’ log and visitors’ book; and the evaluation of projects under the conditions of their funding.
Through partnership work in areas such as health and social care, much of the collaborative activity will require rigorous measurement of the impacts and outcomes (health, personal, economic). For example, a rigorous evaluation model has already been built into the Living Voices programme, including both formative evaluation of practice and delivery, and assessment of impacts over time, for participants, partner organisations and the artists involved in the work.
We aim to increase the involvement of audiences in the development of our services. Our EDI plan involves co-producing programmes and services in collaboration with target audiences, enabling the development of programmes and services that meet their requirements, interests and needs.
At the planning stage, we will consult with audiences on evaluation outcomes, enabling us to measure against the outcomes that matter to the people we engage with.
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Appendix 1: GOVERNANCE AND LEADERSHIP
Company Number: 155684 Registered Charity Number: SC023311
Chair: Annette Bruton Annette has spent a lifetime in education and is the Principal of Edinburgh College. Born and brought up in East Lothian and Edinburgh, she started her career as a teacher of Geography and has held a number of posts in education including being a Chief Inspector of Education at the inspectorate of education and Director of Education, Culture and Sport in Aberdeen. A love of poetry was kindled by one of her teachers when she was at secondary school. Along with the visual arts, poetry has been a constant in her life. A passion for the arts and culture coupled with professional experience and responsibility for libraries, art galleries and cultural venues has meant that Annette has been able to combine her working life with her personal interests. In her spare time Annette is studying for a degree in textiles at the Open College being addicted to learning.
Secretary: Professor John Gillies OBE, MA (Med Ethics & Law) FRCGP, FRCPE John was born in North Uist and qualified in medicine from Edinburgh in 1976. He initially worked in as a rural medical officer in Malawi. From 1985 to 2012 John was a GP, first in Glenluce, Galloway then Selkirk in Scottish Borders. He has been a GP trainer and is an Honorary Professor of General Practice at Edinburgh University. He has carried out research into endemic goitre and cretinism in Malawi, and heart disease and asthma in the UK, as well as publishing on medical ethics and philosophy of general practice. He was awarded OBE in 2016 for services to general practice. John is currently Deputy Director of the Scottish School of Primary Care, which is charged with evaluating new models of primary healthcare for the Scottish Government. He is a senior advisor to the Global Health Academy and co-director of the University of Edinburgh Compassion Initiative, working closely with Prof Jim Doty of Stanford University and Prof Anne Birgitta Pessi of the University of Helsinki.
Board members (as of March 2017) Professor Ian Wall DSc., FRICS, Hon.FRIAS Ian devised the Edinburgh International Science Festival, the first ever in the world, and was one of the founders of the International Centre for Mathematical Science, serving on both Boards. He is Chair of the Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education Committee (STEM) advising the Scottish Government on all aspects of STEM education and serves on the Boards of a number of charities including the Court of Heriot Watt University, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and WASPS. Professor Wall is currently Visiting Professor of Architecture at Scott Sutherland School of Architecture, Aberdeen. Prior to retirement, he was CEO of the EDI Group, a property development and investment company responsible for a wide range of commercial and residential projects across the central belt. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland.
Dr David Lanc PhD, BA, CA David is a chartered accountant with a unique, Board/Senior Management track record within the Financial and Professional Services sector. He has a doctorate in business strategy and has published widely across the academic and business world. He is committed to contributing to the work of charities which provide universal access to national and international works of importance.
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Gordon Moir LLB (Hons) Gordon is a lawyer, presently a partner at the law firm Shepherd and Wedderburn. He was previously on the executive of Glasgow Housing Association, where he was Company Secretary and responsible for governance, legal and regulatory as well as procurement and customer and stakeholder engagement. Prior to this, he was an executive at British Telecommunications, working there for over 10 years in a range of roles, both domestic and international. He is an active supporter of charitable causes and of the arts in Scotland, and combines this with considerable experience in commercial, legal and regulatory matters across a breadth of sectors, as well as board governance
Dr Kyra Pollitt PhD Kyra Pollitt has spent over two decades translating and interpreting between signing and speaking communities. Her deep and sustained contact with the visual culture and visual language of deaf communities led to the development of her own art practice. She has recently been awarded a PhD for her thesis Signart: (British) sign language poetry as Gesamtkunstwerk which bridges her two areas of interest. Kyra was artist-in-residence in the SPL’s Promoting Equalities Programme, and is, a professional translator as well as an emerging artist, and one of a handful of academic experts on sign language poetry globally.
Martyn Wade BLib, MLib, MCLIP, MCIM OBE Martyn started as a Trainee Librarian in the County Reference Library in Northumberland and worked for a number of authorities until he was appointed as Head of Libraries, Information and Learning in Glasgow City Council in 1999. In 2002 he was the first public librarian to be appointed as National Librarian and Chief Executive of the National Library of Scotland. In 2010 he was appointed Honorary Fellow of the Department of Information Studies, University of Aberystwyth, and in 2011 Honorary Professor at Robert Gordon University. He is a Trustee of several charities and experienced in strategic, finance and governance issues. Martyn is the former chair of CILIP board where he continues to serve as a trustee.
Dr Jenni Fagan PhD Jenni is a Scottish novelist best known for The Panopticon published in 2012. In 2013, Fagan was named in the Granta list of Best Young British Novelists, and it was announced that The Panopticon is to be made into a film by Sixteen Films. Fagan's second fiction novel, The Sunlight Pilgrims (2016), was shortlisted for the Saltire Prize. Fagan was Sunday Herald Culture Awards Scottish Author of the Year 2016. The Narcissist and The Light Stasher from the collection The Dead Queen of Bohemia: New & Collected Poems (2016) was selected for Best Scottish Poems 2016. Both of her novels made the front cover of The New York Times Book Review.
Dr Nuala Watt PhD Nuala is a Scottish poet and is a member of the editorial board of New Voices Press, the publishing wing of the Federation of Writers Scotland. Watt is a Graduate Teaching Assistant - English Literature (School of Critical Studies) at University of Glasgow. Her PhD focused on the representation of vision and disability in poetry. Nuala has degrees in English and Creative Writing from the University of St Andrews. She was member of the Clydebuilt scheme for emerging poets.
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Appendix 2: DELIVERY AND MANAGEMENT The SPL will be revisiting its organisational structure in the summer of 2017 to reflect the ambitions and outcomes of this Business Plan. Our current staff structure is as follows (from April 10 2017):
Director (FT)
Accountant (PT, 1 day pw, freelance)
Depute Director (FT, Interim Apr-September 2017)
Senior Librarian (FT) Communications Manager (FT) Librarian (FT) Programme Manager Library Assistant (PT, 16 hrs pw) (FT, job share to August 2017, freelance)
Library Saturday Duty Manager Projects Manager (FT) (PT, 1 day pw, freelance) Library Administrator & Duty Manager (FT)
Learning Manager (Vacancy)
We have commissioned two major pieces of work to deliver a Schools Engagement Plan for developing curriculum resources and a Community Engagement Plan in support of our EDI action plan. Both of these plans will be delivered by July 2017 and will feed into the delivery of the outcomes of the Business Plan 2018-2021.
The SPL’s senior leadership team incorporates the Director, Depute Director and Senior Librarian: Director: responsible for strategic reporting and operational delivery of the Business Plan, with oversight of financial management and presenting Quarterly management account reports to the Board, leads on human resources (recruitment, contracts, employment policy), strategic partnership development and fundraising.
Depute Director: responsible for the operational management of the building (infrastructure, external contractors) and performance management and appraisal reviews of the Senior Librarian and staff with specialist responsibilities.
Senior Librarian: responsible for the Collections Policy (books, audio resources, archives, digitised resources) and Digital Strategy (online catalogue, borrower records, Poets A-Z on website) with day-to-day management responsibility of library service staff and supervision of student placements, interns and volunteer cataloguers.
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Specialist staff Communications Manager: responsible for social media output; records and edits podcasts; manages and contributes content to website; supports Best Scottish Poems roll-out including recording poets; produces news release; manages media enquiries; writes and edits Poetry Reader, produces blog and ebullition.
Programme Manager: responsible for an events programme in the Library and off site; manages associated promotional material; supports external festivals programming, works with partners on international exchanges of outwards and incoming poets.
Projects Manager: responsible for development and delivery of headline projects, including National Poetry Day, Tools of the Trade (for graduating doctors and teachers) Best Scottish Poems, and wellbeing projects, including legacy activity related to Living Voices.
Library Administrator & Duty Manager: Manages retail stock (shop and online) with associated duties related to supplier orders and expenditure and recording of sales revenue, Manages Friends scheme and, correspondence; manages volunteer rota.
Learning Manager: Manages Poetry By Heart Scotland competition, produces online education resources, organises CPD workshops for teachers; liaises with schools and education authorities, supports production of associated learning resources for annual National Poetry Day campaign
Library service staff Librarian: responsible for inquiries; manages periodicals – purchasing, processing, cataloguing, indexing; maintains Scottish Poetry Index; assists with inquiries. New acquisitions processing, shelving, stocktaking, and general shelf maintenance; assisting with catalogue maintenance, and some item cataloguing; creating displays and managing noticeboard; manage circulation (new borrowers, overdues, postal loans, requests, renewals); maintains stats. On borrowers and circulation.
Assistant Librarian: Front desk duties include answering the phone, and directing day- to-day inquiries to relevant staff. Issues books. Deals with post in and out. Basic amendments to CRM database. Manages ticket sales, event posting, and event set-up. Sells retail stock.
Saturday Duty Manager Manages building operations on Saturdays; manages Saturday volunteers; answers phone and deals with enquiries; issues books; sells retail stock, supports catalogue maintenance and updates borrower records.
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Appendix 3: FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
As a company limited by guarantee, our activity reporting is undertaken under the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) guidelines. We commission a freelance, chartered accountant who manages our book-keeping, invoicing and payment schedules, including preparing staff salary slips (1 day per week).
The Company’s Board members are legally responsible for preparation of the summarised financial statements. The accountant produces a quarterly budget report with cash-flow statement for the Director to present to the Board. The accountant also prepares our annual accounts for the Board and Statutory Auditor, Alexander Sloan. The accounts are ratified at our AGM each November. Copies of the full accounts are filed with Companies House.
Our financial controls include a mandate of at least two signatories for business cheques, typically the director and one designated member of the board.
In the financial year for 2015-16 our charitable activities budget totalled £461k, including the annual RFO grant of £316k.
Commitment to Fair Pay For artists we engage with for events and workshops, we adhere as a minimum to the Scottish Book Trust’s Live Literature fee of £175 for a solo engagement, and £150 to the artists for an engagement involving two or more creative practitioners. We also recommend this to our partners engaging with poets.
We aim to be a Living Wage employer, for our staff and external contractors.
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Appendix 4: RISK ASSESSMENT
Risk Likelihood Impact Rating (L+I) Mitigation (1-5) (1-5) Low (0-3) Medium (4-7) High (8-10) Significant reduction in 3 5 8 - High Manage a flexible CS RFO funding over the workforce structure. 3 years Generate core income from commercial activity, endowments and increase of Friends subscriptions. Look to share resources with other organisations. The request in this RFO 2 5 7 - Medium Seek other sources of bid for a capital uplift to funding for digital modernise our digital upgrade. Put back services is declined by CS. delivery date of new As a result, our digital Digital Strategy offer does not keep up outputs. with users’ expectations. Leaving EU impacts 3 5 8 - High Seek to establish negatively on funding institutional Literature Europe Live relationships with platform, and poetry bodies in target consequential activity European countries programme Cuts to local authorities 4 3 7 - Medium Opportunity to provide negatively impact on services to public capacity of public libraries that will help libraries to engage with plug the resources, our services skills and knowledge gap Pressures on schools and 3 4 7 - Medium Develop new models of teachers (time and working to support money) mean that there professional is less capacity for development of engaging with our teachers and learning offer incentivise teachers’ take up of our curriculum resources
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Appendix 5: SWOT ANALYSIS
Strengths Weaknesses
Staff skills, knowledge expertise Our digital platforms are outdated and require an urgent uplift We are regarded as an important literary organisation by Creative Scotland. and the Scottish Footfall to the Library could be higher Government (through the national Makar Need to develop a consistent national offer programme)
Strong track record of partnership working and Are we primarily a library or an arts organisation? project delivery Financial stability- reliance on Creative Scotland The Library building and Collection have for core funding international renown Staff salaries
Openness to collaborations & new developments Capacity (staffing, revenue) to meet ambitions
We’re agile and quick Perceived as having a low public profile beyond Our online resources (podcasts and poems) are the literature community well used Strong and innovative events programme
Opportunities Threats
Partnerships : build on existing ones (e.g. medical BREXIT leads to negative impact on Literature humanities) and new ones (e.g. groups supporting Europe Live partnership funding and exchanges Scots and Gaelic speaking communities) Economic stagnation leads to further social Public Libraries: work to support outcomes of disadvantage and associated barriers related to Scotland’s public libraries strategy arts from poverty and low income
Accessibility : engage new audiences through Publishing industry finds printing poetry as digital offer (live streaming, videos blogs, podcast) increasing less sustainable, leading to reduction in availability and quality of new books and Experimentation: by becoming an Edinburgh pamphlets Festival Fringe venue we can vary our events programme to younger audiences and different art forms
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Appendix 6: EVIDENCE OF QUALITY OF WORK
1. Podcasts The Loud Poets: http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/connect/podcast/loud-poets
Sarah Howe: http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/connect/podcast/sarah-howe
2. Film and Video PEP supported films:
British Sign Language: The stars are the map I unfurl: a poem about Gerry Hughes in BSL, Shetlandic and English https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab-jagLmh-0
Ghazi Hussein: I came from the unknown to sing. Directed by Roxana Vilk https://vimeo.com/118432747
3. Schools resources Lesson plans: http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/learn/teachers/classroom-resources
Poetry By Heart Scotland: http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poetry-heart-scotland
National Poetry Day: http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/learn/teachers/national-poetry-day-teachers
4. Testimonials
4.1 Living Voices Project
A couple of ladies told stories which surprised and enlightened the activities manager -- so I was delighted that new information and deepening understanding continues to grow between staff and residents as a result of these sessions. Care Assistant
I really enjoy these sessions. I’d like it every week. It’s different from what we normally do. It’s good to talk about these things. It never leaves you, your memories. Care Home Resident
4.2 Late Style
The challenge of the commission, the concentration on the theme of creative ageing and being able to share poems with two other poets gave an energy and an impetus to the work. It was a splendid experience. Commissioned poet
The marvellous thing was that being chosen to take part in the commission restored my confidence in myself as a poet with something worth saying. Commissioned poet
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4.3 Poetry By Heart Scotland
Orla and I really appreciated the opportunity to get involved in this year's competition. It was an overwhelmingly positive experience for both of us, as well as for Orla's parents, grandparents and friends who came along- and I even got a beautiful bouquet of flowers out of it from those grateful parents! Teacher (Dalziel High School)
It was a privilege to take part. Overall, it was a wonderful experience, and I would thoroughly recommend anyone who is interested in poetry to take part! Student (Dalziel High School)
Thanks again for inviting me to judge this year's PBHS event; as ever I was bowled-over by the students' skill in memorisation and in performing the range of poems. They put me in the shade! Judge, poet
I thoroughly enjoyed compering the event and thought the judges were bang-on with their observations! What a great project- well done for such a great day! Compere, poet
My wife and I both enjoyed the event, and agreed with the judges' decisions, although the candidates were all so good that it must have been hard to decide. As secretary of the PAS, I am especially pleased to be partners with the SPL, and the other sponsors mentioned, in making these National Finals possible. Secretary, Poetry Association of Scotland
4.4 National Poetry Day
The teaching resources are also greatly valued here. The sharing of poetry in Scots and Gaelic is appreciated as you bring to our attention new poets, or at least new poets as far as we are concerned. We have some Gaelic speakers in families here so that goes down well. Teacher, School & Nursery, Highland Council
This is an important day in our school calendar for the LRC (library) and we use it as an opportunity to share poetry and language. We like the flexibility of it as an activity around the school. The Scottish Poetry Library with its ongoing emails through out the year helps as prompts giving us the opportunity to share poetry when the chance arises. A valuable resource. School Librarian, Nursery/Primary/Secondary School, Perth & Kinross
We always enjoy taking part in NPD and have done some large scale whole school projects in the past eg the whole school Renga poem on the theme of water a few years ago. Everyone wrote a line and we glued it all together into a poem which ran the length of a corridor. The SPL website is an essential resource when teaching the work of any Scottish poet and we use it regularly. Teacher, Secondary School, Dumfries and Galloway
4.5 Tools of the Trade: Poems for New Doctors
‘Tools of the Trade’ is a little gem of a book, it continues to delight no matter how many times I have read it. I did not expect that I would engage and gain from this book as
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much as I have. Thank you to the publishers for this wonderful collection and for providing it to new medical graduates. It certainly achieves what is has set out to, ‘to provide comfort and support’, and teaches that despite the challenges we may face, particularly as new doctors, it is important to remind ourselves of our passion to provide good care for our patients. Navya Beaswada, University of Aberdeen graduate
I am no poetry expert, but I did gain a lot from the pages of ‘Tools of the Trade’. I felt that the book motivated me to go into the wards and do a good job for the patients every day, but I also got some comfort in the poems that my challenges are not unique and there is a great support network within the profession. The poems are short enough to enjoy during a hectic period of graduates’ lives or during a coffee break at work, and I trust that everyone who reads this wee book will also find something in these pages to connect with.
Whether used as a motivational tool shortly after graduation, a trouble-shooter during the first few months of work, or as an activity to fill a coffee break one morning, I would highly recommend ‘Tools of the Trade’ to any fellow new doctors. Neil Craig, University of Dundee graduate
4.6 Belonging Project workshops
Welcoming. Completely at ease from beginning to end, creating a safe space in which to express ourselves and respond to prompts. Outstanding.
Calm, supportive facilitation. Inspiring thoughts and exercises. Great venue.
Inspiring discussions. Relaxed atmosphere
Responding to cultural/political/emotional issues in a safe environment
Warm welcome, encouragement and hearing everyone else’s beautiful words
Being brought out of my comfort zone and challenged
Comfortable and safe space created [by you] for these workshops has helped us all to explore the power of words
4.7 Community Outreach linking with our Library events programme
It’s like reading Shakespeare first and then seeing it performed. Attendee at Billy Letford reading, from Grassmere Community Project
The reading was just great. ‘Monuments of the Mind’ had been very sad when we read and discussed in the group at the library, but I was surprised at how funny it was when Billy read it Attendee at Billy Letford reading, from Grassmere Community Project
4.8 Enquiry Service
Dear Lizzie, thank you for tracing the author of the poem for me. It never occurred to me that it was H McD, probably because of the language? It is a beautiful and perceptive
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little piece and I am delighted that you managed to solve a long standing mystery for me.
PS I've just made a small contribution to the Library Service User
Thank you so much. Perfect choices! I will read them at the celebration You have made my day! Service User
4.9 Volunteers
The Poetry Library has helped me to realise the importance of pausing: to read, and to reflect more playfully on life. It’s a place where creativity pulses from the well-leafed pages, where the ephemeral is annulled by perpetual empathy, where repartee can be enjoyed as much as an epic poem. It’s possible to lose hours making connections between poets and words and themes found in volumes, pamphlets and precious, limited editions. At the book-face, I listen in on readings at events, trip international visitors and architecture-enthusiasts around the space and simply listen to people share interpretations and impressions. . I’ve contributed to the A-Z directory of Scottish poets, researched poetry events and competitions and written a book review for Luckenbooth. I adore the art, the rarity of the journal publications, the emotional wringer of events and the revelations along the way (Drag Queens, Filmpoesie, Haiku) Jennifer, volunteer
From the beginning, volunteering with the Scottish Poetry Library has been a hugely rewarding experience. I have learnt a myriad of new skills, from labelling new acquisitions to setting up displays and have worked with dozens of like-minded volunteers who all share a love of poetry. I volunteer regularly on weekends as I have really enjoyed taking on new challenges such as writing book reviews for the library shop and being involved most recently in the library’s audio transcription work. Volunteering has also given me the opportunity to gain vital skills for starting out in my career in librarianship, such as learning the library’s shelving system, checking books in and out for library users and using Eventbrite when volunteering at mid-week events.
What makes the library so special is not only its recently renovated building which provides a welcome sanctuary from the bustling city centre, but its staff. Since I have been there, I have received incredible support and been encouraged at every step to learn new skills and to pursue my career in librarianship. Suzi, volunteer
4.10 University of the Third Age (U3A)
At present we have ten members who very much appreciate being able to use the new room 'The Space' at SPL free of charge. Because we are all retired and living on a pension we would find it difficult to afford hire charges.
The benefits of the group to our members are considerable. Apart from the joy of reading poetry, the learning experience of discovering poets who are new to us provides mental stimulus, and encourages our members to make use of the SPL's extensive poetry collection. We also spread the word around about the presence of SPL, as some residents of our city appear to be unaware of its existence.
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The social aspect of meeting together and chatting over a cup of coffee is also helpful for those who may be lonely. One of our members who moved to Edinburgh after a recent bereavement has commented on how easy it has been to make new friends at our group. One of our members who uses a wheelchair is particularly appreciative of the easy level access at SPL, as many of the U3A groups are held in members' upstairs flats which she cannot get to. Alison, convener U3A group
4.11 Visitors’ Book
Stumbled upon this lovely spot in Edinburgh – as both a librarian and a poet I am thrilled! Theresa
Looking brilliant and bright! – Love it! Ruth
We loved your library, we thought it was great, almost as good as doughnuts and cake! Sasha
Amazing selection of kids books and audio books upstairs Daisy
Wow. I wish there were something like this in Amsterdam, where I’m from Tessa
Like a diamond shining in the city Alicia
The best library I’ve ever found Monika
A grown-ups ‘sweetie shop’ Meg
Always wanted to come here – what a paradise of poems and books Rebecca
A wonderful place – thank you for your welcome Mark Hanniffy, Consul General of Ireland
Page 32 SPL Business Plan 2018-2021